UK Committee Warns of Arrest Warrant Gap, Risk to Public Safety After Brexit

The United Kingdom faces an "unacceptable risk" to public safety if the government does not find a replacement to the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) in time for the country's withdrawal from the EU bloc in March 2019, the Lords EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee at the UK parliament said in a report Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The EAW system, overseen by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), is applied throughout the bloc and requires a member state to transfer a suspect who is sought by another member state.

However, the report warned that a "cliff-edge" situation could occur as the UK government plans to remove CJEU jurisdiction in the country after Brexit.

"An operational gap between the EAW ceasing to apply and a suitable replacement coming into force would pose an unacceptable risk," the report read.

The report stressed that it would be difficult for the United Kingdom to remain part of the EAW arrangements following European Union withdrawal, as it would no longer be party to other related EU agreements and statutes, including the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, EU data protection laws, and regulations on EU citizenship.

As for potential alternatives to the EAW, the report examined the case of Norway and Iceland, which are both outside the European Union, but members of the European Economic Area (EEA) and the Schengen Area. In 2014, they concluded an extradition agreement with the European Union, which provides a mechanism to ensure regular mutual transmission of the case law of the CJEU and that of the competent courts of Iceland and Norway.

In March, UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd said that it was the government's "priority" to ensure that the United Kingdom remained part of the EAW arrangements post-Brexit.